meet our team

PRESIDENT, BOARD MEDICAL ADVISOR

Dr. Taras Mahlay was an internist at University Hospitals of Cleveland for over 30 years. He has been an active member of the Cleveland community all his life. Since the 1990s, Dr. Mahlay has been involved in international physician exchange programs and sending humanitarian aid to low and middle income countries. With the full scale Russian invasion into Ukraine, Dr. Mahlay now dedicated all his efforts in helping the casualties of war. His focus is procurement of medical supplies, transporting them directly to medical facilities in Ukraine while promoting physician and medic training programs. In addition to his medical volunteerism, he is the president of the Ukrainian Museum-Archives in Cleveland and is the administrator and an instructor at a musical bandura school in Parma, Ohio

SECRETARY

Olga Baleshta is a co-founder of the Cleveland Maidan Association and one of the first volunteers supporting Ukraine since the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity in 2013, following the initial violent attacks on student protesters in Kyiv. 

She has been actively involved in humanitarian, community, and advocacy efforts aimed at supporting Ukraine and its people. In addition to her work with the Cleveland Maidan Association, Olga Baleshta is a dedicated volunteer with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church of Роkrova and the UGC Eparchy of St. Josaphat. 

Her long-standing commitment to civic engagement, volunteerism, and community leadership reflects her dedication to preserving Ukrainian values, supporting those in need, and strengthening the Ukrainian-American community.

TREASURER

BOARD MEMBER

Andriy Boechko is a seasoned finance professional with a strong track record in the industry. In parallel with his professional work, he has been actively engaged in supporting humanitarian efforts in Ukraine since Revolution of Dignity in 2014, focusing on fundraising, veteran outreach and advocacy to mobilize resources and attention.

BOARD MEMBER

Pavlo Karpyn is a founding member of the Cleveland Maidan Association and was elected as its first president in 2014. Currently serving as a board member and the logistics coordinator, he has played a pivotal role in the organization's growth over the past decade. In this capacity, Pavlo oversees the export of donated medical equipment and vehicles to Ukraine. Outside of his volunteer work, Pavlo, a successful business owner, passionately explores global affairs through the lens of world history and current events.

BOARD MEMBER

Andriy Voyetskiy is one of the founding members of Cleveland Maidan Association in 2014, and served as president for four years and vice president for eight years. He has served on the board of directors ever since. Andriy as spent his career in aviation and is a captain for a major US airline.

BOARD MEMBER

Walter Prokhna is a dedicated Ukrainian-American community leader and the owner of Lemberg Express Inc., a logistics company based in Strongsville, Ohio. Since 2014, he has been deeply involved with the Cleveland Maidan Association, a nonprofit founded in response to Ukraine's Euromaidan Revolution. Joining the organization in its early days, Prokhna serves as a board member contributing his expertise to coordinate humanitarian efforts. The association has provided critical aid to Ukraine for over a decade, including medical supplies, equipment shipments, vehicles for aid delivery and rescue, cash assistance to families of defenders

BOARD MEDICAL ADVISOR

Dr. Laura Bukavina, a urologic oncologist at Case Western University Hospital, brings a decade of expertise in surgical oncology. She has dedicated several years as a volunteer with Cleveland Maidan, contributing both on-site in aiding refugees and in performing surgical reconstruction for genitourinary trauma in combat patients. Additionally, she plays a vital role in coordinating the delivery of medical supplies to Ukraine. Her primary objectives center on providing world-class medical care in Ukraine and imparting current knowledge of genitourinary reconstruction surgery to Ukrainian physicians. This effort aims to enhance the quality of life for both soldiers and civilians affected by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

BOARD MEDICAL ADVISOR

Natalia Fendrikova Mahlay, MD, is a staff physician in the Department of Vascular Medicine in the Sydell and Arnold Miller Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, in Cleveland Ohio. She completed her professional training with a vascular medicine fellowship at Cleveland Clinic and was appointed to the Cleveland Clinic staff in 2011. Dr. Fendrikova Mahlay is the medical director of the non-invasive vascular laboratory at CCF and associate professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. She has been active in physician exchange programs and educational lectures in Ukraine.

U.S. HUMANITARIAN PROGRAMS COORDINATOR

Natalie began serving as the U.S. Humanitarian Programs Coordinator in 2023. Prior to joining Cleveland Maidan Association, Natalie completed health disparities research in Israel-Palestine. She currently works in program management and evaluation at MedWish Medworks, a proud partner of Cleveland Maidan Association. She is passionate about using her skills to support Ukraine and to build capacity in health systems under strain.